Tavern of the Spear: Desire for Pleasure

In the dimly lit passage, only the faint light emitted by the magic crystals embedded in the walls barely illuminated the path ahead. The three people's shadows stretched long on the wall, constantly twisting and turning with their movements, adding to the eerie atmosphere.

Kurosawa walked at the front, his steps steady and powerful, as if he were already used to the dim environment. Cheng Yu and Bai Yu walked side by side behind, so close that they could almost feel each other's breath.

Although the surrounding environment was oppressively suffocating, Cheng Yu and Bai Yu were unusually relaxed. After all, these two had never considered taking on another master.

“Hey…” Cheng Yu gently nudged Bai Yu with his shoulder, breaking the silence.

Bai Yu turned his head and looked at Cheng Yu, a hint of doubt in his eyes.

When Cheng Yu saw Bai Yu looking at him, he began to use hand gestures. His movements were somewhat clumsy, clearly indicating a lack of professional training, but this did not prevent him from expressing his meaning.

Bai Yu looked at Cheng Yu's gesture and quickly understood what he was saying.

"You mean... we'll find an opportunity to give Kurosawa a Thousand Years of Death later?" Bai Yu asked silently, mouthing the question.

Cheng Yu nodded, a sly glint in his eyes.

"Even if it can't cause any real harm, it can at least annoy him a little," Cheng Yu continued gesturing.

Bai Yu couldn't help but laugh; he thought Cheng Yu's idea was hilarious.

“Okay, let’s do it this way!” Bai Yu mouthed.

The two reached an agreement and continued to silently follow Kurosawa.

However, they were unaware that their "little tricks" had already been seen through by Kurosawa.

"These two little guys are really... interesting." Kurosawa chuckled inwardly, but he didn't show it and maintained a serious expression.

"However, since you want to play, I'll play along." Kurosawa made up his mind.

He slowed his pace, deliberately letting Cheng Yu and Bai Yu get closer to him.

"Hmm?" Cheng Yu and Bai Yu exchanged a glance, both feeling that this was an excellent opportunity.

"Go!" Cheng Yu gestured to Bai Yu with his eyes.

Bai Yu nodded, and the two of them simultaneously reached out their hands, preparing to give Hei Ze a "surprise".

However, just as their hands were about to touch Kurosawa, Kurosawa suddenly turned around.

"What are you two doing?" Kurosawa looked at the two of them with a playful smile on his face.

"Huh?" Cheng Yu and Bai Yu were stunned. Their hands froze in mid-air, unsure whether to go forward or backward.

"N-nothing..." Bai Yu quickly said, "We just... just wanted to stretch our muscles..."

"Stretch your muscles?" Kurosawa raised an eyebrow. "Are you sure?"

"Yes, yes!" Cheng Yu quickly echoed, "We...we just felt this passage was too stuffy, so...so we wanted to move around a bit..."

"Oh? Is that so?" Kurosawa looked at the two of them, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes. "I thought... you were planning to ambush me."

"A sneak attack?" Bai Yu and Cheng Yu's eyes widened simultaneously. "How is that possible? Why would we sneak attack you?"

“That’s right, Lord Kurosawa, you are our master, how could we do such a rebellious thing?” Cheng Yu said.

"Really?" Kurosawa looked at the two of them with a doubtful expression. "But why do I feel like... your movements just now didn't quite look like you were stretching?"

"This..." Bai Yu and Cheng Yu were speechless for a moment, not knowing how to explain.

"Alright, I'll stop teasing you." Kurosawa suddenly said, "I know you definitely don't want to become my disciples."

"After all, you already have a master, and your master is definitely more outstanding than me."

"Lord Kurosawa..." Bai Yu and Cheng Yu looked at Kurosawa, their eyes filled with gratitude.

“However, since you have already agreed to become my disciples, you cannot go back on your word,” Kurosawa said. “Otherwise, I will be angry.”

“We…we know…” Bai Yu and Cheng Yu lowered their heads.

"Alright, don't be so downcast," Kurosawa said. "Actually, being my apprentice isn't such a bad thing."

"At the very least, I can teach you some powerful magic to make you stronger."

"Really?" Bai Yu and Cheng Yu immediately perked up.

“Of course it’s true,” Kurosawa said. “I’m Kurosawa, I never lie.”

Kurosawa: What does Kurosawa saying have to do with me? >?o?

"Thank you, Lord Kurosawa!" The two bowed in gratitude once more.

"Alright, don't be so polite," Kurosawa said. "Let's keep going."

"Yes, my lord!"

The three continued along the passage.

This time, the atmosphere became much more relaxed.

Bai Yu and Cheng Yu were no longer so nervous, and they began to ask Hei Ze some questions about magic.

Kurosawa patiently answered their questions and taught them some practical skills.

"Kurosawa, what exactly is this 'mirror space' you mentioned earlier?" Bai Yu asked curiously.

“Mirror space is a very advanced form of spatial magic,” Kurosawa explained. “It can create a mirror image of anything, including people, objects, and even the entire world. I usually prefer to call it a ‘stage’!”

“These mirror images are almost indistinguishable from the real things, even their aura and power are exactly the same.”

"So what you just saw was actually a reflection of yourselves."

“And your true forms have always been imprisoned by me in another dimension.”

"I see..." Bai Yu and Cheng Yu suddenly realized.

"Then why did you do that?" Cheng Yu asked.

“Because… I want to see your strength,” Kurosawa said. “If you can’t even defeat my mirror image, how could you possibly defeat me?”

“So that’s how it is…” The two understood Kurosawa’s intention.

"Alright, stop asking so many questions," Kurosawa said. "We're almost there."

Asking too many questions will give me away... Although I do have this kind of supernatural ability, how could I possibly do something so outrageous?

Ze breathed a sigh of relief. To be honest, he really couldn't explain this absurd phenomenon. If he had to explain it, he could only say it was a fake sky.

"Wait, Kurosawa." Bai Yu suddenly called out to Kurosawa, his expression somewhat confused. "Where...where are you taking us?"

Cheng Yu also looked at Hei Ze, clearly having the same question.

Kurosawa paused, seemingly hesitant. He turned around, looked at his two "disciples," and remained silent for a moment.

“Actually… you should know very well where we’re going,” Kurosawa said slowly, “It’s… outside the third ring of the Three Rings World.”

"The Third Ring World? Outside the Third Ring?" Bai Yu and Cheng Yu looked at each other, completely bewildered by what Hei Ze was talking about.

"Kurosawa, what do you mean by... the Three-Ring World?" Cheng Yu couldn't help but ask.

Kurosawa sighed and explained, "It's the three worlds you experienced before."

"The first level is the 'Realm of Nothingness,' which is where you first entered."

"The second layer is the 'Brain of Kurosawa' of the pseudo-world, which is a world I created with my own power."

"The third level is the 'Fantasy Stage,' which is the world you were just in, a creation of Bowen."

“And beyond the Third Ring Road…” Kurosawa paused, then said, “is the void.”

"The void?" Bai Yu and Cheng Yu were even more puzzled. "What are we going to the void for?"

“Going there… is to help your master, Argentkroni,” Kurosawa said.

"Help Master?" The two immediately became excited. "What happened to Master?"

"Well... you'll find out when we get there," Kurosawa said. "For now, let's get going."

"Okay!" The two nodded and followed in Kurosawa's footsteps.

The three continued forward, passing through one dark passage after another, until they finally arrived at a huge stone gate.

This stone gate was larger than any gate they had ever seen before, standing tens of meters tall, and was carved with ancient and mysterious patterns, exuding an awe-inspiring aura.

“This is the door leading to the outside of the Third Ring Road,” Kurosawa said. “However, this door requires a special incantation to open.”

After saying that, Kurosawa walked to the stone gate and began chanting a spell.

His voice was deep and melodious, like a call from ancient times, echoing in the empty passage.

As the incantation resounded, the patterns on the stone gate began to light up, with rays of light flowing across them, as if giving them life.

"Crack...knock..."

The stone gate made a dull thud and slowly opened to both sides, revealing a passage leading to an unknown world.

"Let's go," Kurosawa said.

"Kurosawa, aren't you coming in with us?" Bai Yu asked.

"I..." Kurosawa hesitated for a moment before saying, "I still have some things to take care of. You guys go in first."

"But..." Bai Yu wanted to say something, but Cheng Yu stopped him.

"Bai Yu, let's go in first. Kurosawa's words are trustworthy." Cheng Yu then turned to Kurosawa and said, "You...you be careful."

"Mm." Kurosawa nodded.

Bai Yu and Cheng Yu exchanged a glance, then took a deep breath and stepped through the stone gate.

"boom!"

The moment the two entered the stone gate, it suddenly closed.

"Kurosawa!" Bai Yu and Cheng Yu panicked and rushed to the stone gate, pounding on it.

"Kurosawa, what's wrong? I guess I trusted you too much! Open the door!"

"I don't think it's Kurosawa's fault. Kurosawa, what's wrong with you right now?"

However, no matter how much they shouted, the stone gate did not respond.

"What should we do?" Bai Yu asked anxiously.

"Don't panic," Cheng Yu said. "Let's try to open this door first."

After saying that, the two began to try various methods to open the stone door.

They punched it, kicked it, and even used magic, but the stone door remained unmoved.

"What...what exactly is going on?" Cheng Yu felt a sense of despair.

"Could it be... that Kurosawa really lied to us?" Bai Yu said.

"That can't be!" Cheng Yu said. "He wouldn't need to play us like this, would he?"

"But... why can't this door be opened?" Bai Yu asked.

“I…I don’t know either…” Cheng Yu said.

The two fell silent, unsure of what to do.

Outside the stone gate, Kurosawa's face also turned pale.

"Damn it... I've used up too much power..." Kurosawa muttered to himself, clutching his chest. "I didn't expect... this door to be so hard to open..."

He originally thought that with his own power, he could easily open this door and then send Bai Yu and Cheng Yu outside the Third Ring Road.

But to his surprise, the door was even more sturdy than he had imagined, and it actually took a lot of his strength to open.

To make matters worse, he discovered that the passageway behind the door was disconnected.

"This...how is this possible?" Kurosawa was filled with shock. "Could it be...that something has happened outside the Third Ring Road?"

He quickly used his own power to sense the situation inside the door.

He discovered that Bai Yu and Cheng Yu were desperately trying to open the stone door, but no matter how hard they tried, they couldn't budge it an inch.

"It seems... they can't get out," Kurosawa thought to himself. "However, this might... be a good thing."

"At least, they won't be in danger."

"Now, I must regain my strength as soon as possible, and then find a way to contact Argentkroni."

Kurosawa took a deep breath and began to regulate his breathing.

"Hey! You two, can you hear me?" Kurosawa suddenly spoke, his voice transmitted into the stone gate through some kind of special magic.

"Kurosawa? So you're still alive?" Bai Yu and Cheng Yu were immediately excited.

"...You really want me dead?" Kurosawa said speechlessly. "How are you all doing now?"

"We...we're trapped here..." Bai Yu said, "This door...can't be opened..."

“I know,” Kurosawa said. “This door… is not one you can open.”

"What do we do then?" Cheng Yu asked. "Are we... are we going to be trapped here forever?"

“Don’t worry,” Kurosawa said. “I’ll find a way to get you out.”

"However, before that, you must... protect yourselves."

"There are many magical mechanisms and traps in this room, so you must be careful."

"A magical mechanism? A trap?" Bai Yu and Cheng Yu exchanged a glance, both feeling a sense of unease.

"Kurosawa, can you...can you tell us where these mechanisms and traps are?" Bai Yu asked.

"Well... I don't know either," Kurosawa said. "I can only sense that there are many dangers in this room, but I don't know exactly where they are."

"You guys... be careful."

"Kurosawa..."

"Alright, that's enough," Kurosawa said. "I... need to rest now. You guys... take care of yourselves."

After saying that, Kurosawa's voice disappeared.

"Kurosawa!? Kurosawa! Where's the dragon? This is so unreliable!" Bai Yu and Cheng Yu shouted again, but there was no response.

"What should I do? I have a feeling something bad is going to happen!" Bai Yu looked at Cheng Yu, his eyes filled with anxiety.

"Don't be afraid," Cheng Yu said. "I believe we can hold out until Kurosawa returns. Even if this mechanism is broken, it can't be broken too badly, right? Ha... Ah!"

Before Cheng Yu could even finish speaking, his ankle was entangled by something sticky, and he was instantly dragged into the darkness.

"Wow! I'm even more scared now, what should I do?!"